In today’s digital era, teachers are always looking for ways to provide mobile learning opportunities to increase student engagement—whether it’s for the classroom, a club/activity, or sporting event.

​One easy way for teachers to do that is by using QR codes. Quite simply, a QR (quick response) code is a two dimensional barcode that can be scanned by a mobile device. These codes can contain links to a website, video, image, etc.

Stephen Rose, the QR code resident expert at Antioch, has been using QR codes for quite some time in his classroom. According to Stephen, “QR codes can save a lot of time when asking students to navigate to a specific website. Since students are able to use their own personal devices, they have an immediate buy-in. QR codes can be used far beyond simply pointing to websites. They can be a part of a game. Last year, we used QR codes in conjunction with the typical Civil Rights poster to allow students to go beyond. For example, when they stopped to read about jazz, they could scan a QR code and listen to the music for themselves. QR codes enable a teacher and student the flexibility to dream.”

QR codes can also be used by teachers to create scavenger hunts, interactive calendars (ex. This Day In History), homework help (video/web links to assignments that provide information or show how to solve a problem), or interactive quizzes. Check out Kathy Shrock’s Guide for Everything for a complete list of teaching ideas and for QR reader applications that can be downloaded to your device.

​To learn how you can create your own mobile learning opportunities for students, watch the “Creating and Using QR Codes in the Classroom” video.